Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-03-02


Church Last Night.
The following is an abstract Of the sub
jcct discussed at the prayer meeting in
the Presbyterian Church last digit, in
which the pastor said
Under the Old Testament the individ-
uai was TO make confession of sin. This
was required BY their religion, and many
examples are given In the word of God.
Then Aaron made confession of the
sins of the whole people. for we read
And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon
the head of the live goat, and confess over
him all the iniQuitics of the children of
Israel, and all their transgressions in all
their sins, putting them upon the head of
the goat. and shall send him away bv the
hand of fit man into the wilderness.
This was typical act showing the trans
fer of sin. Then Solomon at the dedi-
cation Of the temple. remembering this
duty OF confession, prays unto God that
when the people come crying, We have
sinned and done perversely," they might
be heard and forgiven
This confession is to be made unto the
Lord. The terms used by Solomon indi-
cate this such as these, land shall pray
unto the Lord, and make suppIication
unto thee, land return unto thee" Ezra
too, in making his confession for the peO-
pie, makes it unto God. Joshua directs
Achan to make confession INTO him, :"
that is, God. And SO in the New Tesla
ment. we are taught that eff we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to for
give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. =
We have examples 81 persons coming
voluntarily and confessing their sins. job
says Behold am vile; what shall /
answer thee?" David said Il acknowl-
edge my sin unto thee. and mine iniquity
have not hid said. / will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord; and thou
fergavest the iniquity of my SIM For
acknowledge my tranfgressions land my
sin is ever before me- Against thee, thee
only, have / sinned and done TIA evil in
thy sight" Nehemiah says: "Both anu
my fathers house have sinned."
In Achan's case there was necessity to-
make confessions, for Joshua said to him;
Ny son, give, pray thee, glory to the
unto him; and tell me now what thou
hast done; hide it not from me-"
There is disadvantage in hiding or
concealing our sins, for it is said. He
that covereth his sins shall not prosper. !"
We do all we can to- lessen the number
and the guilt of our sin in our own esti-
nation. Some say they are without sin.
The Apostle says eff we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves. and
the truth is not in u.s." eff we say that
we have not sinned, we make him, that
is God, liar, and his work is not in us. .
We have encouragement to confess our
sins, for we are told that God is faithful
and just to forgive US our sins. We are
told, but whose confesseth and forsak-
eth them shall have mercy"
BY confessing our sins we have better
knowledge of the corruption Of our own
hearts, and our need of the religion of
Christ. We do not realize the number of
our sins. until we come to take some ac-
count of them. We do not have any con-
ception of the dreadful character of our
sins, until we come to put one along side
of another in the enumeration, and then
all alongside of the Bible. We have no
idea of the variety of our sins; until we
face them as they appear in thought and
word, and deed, in commissions AID omis-
sions. When we see the fearful record
that memory has made, which we try to
hide from ourselves as well as from the
world, we are humbled into the dust, and
cry, like one of old, "God be merciful
to me sinner